tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15464079705867270012024-03-13T12:00:46.010-04:00Crazy For Cloth Diapers!!Expert advice about cloth diapers from a practical mother who is passionate about her family.Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-41092427029144749882010-07-26T14:57:00.003-04:002010-07-27T14:43:05.499-04:00Farewell Blogging World<div>To all you mom bloggers out there: you are amazing! You're encouragement and creativity brightens many people's days, even when you don't realize it. Thank you!</div><div></div><br /><br /><div>As for me, I am calling it quits on blogging. I just can't keep up with it and get done what I'd like to get done during the day. I've never been a person that likes the computer, so I'm not sure why I thought I would like this. Well, I do enjoy blogging, so I can't say I don't like it. I love to write and journal and encourage others. I just don't enjoy blogging enough to keep it in my busy daily schedule. To keep up with other blogs, my blog and doing the research on the side is just not worth it for me. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I am more interested in keeping up with my piano playing and starting my business teaching piano. I am also really into my new hobby: soap making. But I find that I am blogging more than I am working with my soaps, and I want it to be the other way around.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>So, with that being said, I bid thee farewell. I will, however, keep this blog. I have friends who are always asking me about cloth diapers, so I will still have all the information here for anyone to use. Also, who knows? Maybe blogging will be something I want to pick up in the future. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I hope that all who read this enjoy my ramblings and good luck to you all!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Blessings and Peace,</div><br /><div>Christie <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498658267575406082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BSRItPiIKzY/TE8oj6wYzgI/AAAAAAAAABs/fMNp8Uqe0XM/s320/213_ChristieOutdoorDinner.jpg" border="0" /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-47868405810731055252010-07-20T13:20:00.002-04:002010-07-20T13:27:45.928-04:00Going on a few min-vacations!Hey everyone! This will probably be my last post of the week, because I will be out of town here and there until next week. Tomorrow, my little Short Stack and I will be going back to Indiana to see a very good friend of mine, whom I haven't had a chance to actually <em>talk</em> to in FOREVER! So, I am very excited. We should get back in town long enough to pack up again to head an hour south of us to see my hubby's brother and his wife for the rest of the weekend.<br /><br />Yes, I am buying disposable diapers today. Uh oh!! :-) Although, I guess I could technically do it with cloth if I washed them quickly when we got back home on Thursday before leaving again. But then I'd have to wash them again over the weekend at the in-law's because I don't have enough to last. So, I think I am going to be lazy this one time and buy a pack of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">sposies</span>. It's been so long since I've bought a package of diapers, that I haven't the slightest clue as to what size Short Stack is in. That, at least, makes me feel less guilty about it!<br /><br />Now, if only my daughter can keep up with all the traveling. She's a very cautious and sensitive child. Only time will tell!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-24267079304952722332010-07-19T14:09:00.002-04:002010-07-19T14:30:36.934-04:00Meal PlanningI realize that I am very different than many Americans when it comes to my food, so I thought I would write about it!<br /><br />Once I began my GF diet, I decided that not only was I going to change my food content, I would also change my entire view of eating and working out. Of course, it really helped that I stopped my job at about the same time. I have time to exercise now! Working out is now becoming one of my priorities, although I must admit that I am still not as committed as I want to be. But so far, I have had a full month of exercising 5 days a week (pats herself on back).<br /><br />Anyway, once I began my gluten free diet, I decided that I was going to make my meals smaller and eat 5-6 meals a day now. My breakfast has always been the biggest, and that is still the same. A bowl of 100 calorie cereal plus milk just doesn't do it for me. Today I had about 1/3 cup of Red Mill's Might Tasty Hot Cereal with 2 eggs and some cheese sprinkled on top with a glass of soy milk. Like I said, I like my breakfast!! But often, I run errands during the morning, so I sometimes don't get a small meal/snack before lunch. If I do have a morning snack, it will almost always be some type of fruit.<br /><br />For lunch, I only eat a sandwich or maybe some carrots and peanut butter, or something similar. Nothing big, because I get really tired right around 1 o'clock, and if I eat a lot, it just makes it worse. Then, around 2 or 3, I will have another meal/snack that usually consists of rice cake and hummus, yogurt with gluten free granola (I love Enjoy Life's Very Berry Crunch granola!), or string cheese, etc...<br /><br />Dinner is most of the time something with meat, as my husband prefers. :-) I can get him to eat vegetarian if it involves spaghetti, but that's about it, ha ha! I am not a vegetarian, but personally, I think I would be if I didn't have other digestion problems. Anway, for dinner, we usually will have a meat and a vegetable, and sometimes a carb (usually potato or corn).<br /><br />Now, I'm not very good about eating healthy for my last meal/snack. I will usually break open a bag of chips or scoop up a bowl of ice cream (with a lactose enzyme pill, as I am lactose intolerent) after little Short Stack goes to bed. But everyone needs a vice, right?<br /><br />This diet really helps me eat healthy, as long as I plan it and have the foods available. I have to go in with the mindset that these snacks are really small meals, because if I don't, I'm reaching for the cookies or the chips. Plus, these small meals help my daughter stay happy during the day too. She snacks along with me, so if she doesn't eat as much at dinner as I want her to, I won't have a battle on my hands because I know she is getting the right foods during snack times as well.<br /><br />I highly recommend small and more frequent meals rather than 3 large meals a day. It may take a little more planning, especially if you work, but I think it is worth it!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-38219529848149040302010-07-16T14:12:00.002-04:002010-07-16T14:20:47.516-04:00Ant Quest Day 4Well, this is Day 4 of my homemade ant trap experiment. No ants have given my borax/sugar solution a taste lately. The first day was amazing. Ants were dropping like crazy! Now, nothing. No dead ants being kicked out of their homes, no line of ants near the traps. Ants are still in my house.<br /><br />I'm not sure why the homemade traps didn't work. It's been so hot out that I thought for sure the solution would have dissolved and combined. But the water is at the top and the Borax is at the bottom. And, I am guessing the sugar is at the bottom with the Borax, because wouldn't the ants want it if the sugar was mixed in the water at the top?<br /><br />Anyway, I am too tired to really examine it further. I'm going on 3 days of insomnia. Which is VERY much not like me. I am a fall-asleep-the second-my-head-hits-the-pillow type of girl, and I sleep 9 hours easily with no interruptions. So today I took my zombie self and my all-too-chipper Short Stack to the hardware store and bought as many ant traps as I could and ant spray.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ok</span>, ants...let's dance.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-54846607226406852062010-07-15T13:49:00.006-04:002010-07-15T14:39:25.747-04:00Kiss My Face Peace Soap Review<div><div><div>My good friends over at <a href="http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/">http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/</a> asked me to write a review for a new line of soaps by <a href="http://www.kissmyface.com/">Kiss My Face</a>. I was delighted to get this opportunity to try something new and organic!</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.kissmyface.com/">Kiss My Face</a> has introduced a new line of soaps called <a href="http://peacesoap.kissmyface.com/">Peace Soap</a>. <a href="http://peacesoap.kissmyface.com/">Peace Soap </a>is an all purpose Castile soap that is also 100% natural. The basic ingredients in this soap are simple: olive oil, coconut oil, hemp oil and jojoba oil. It comes in 4 amazing scents: Grassy Mint, Lavender Mandarin, Pomegranate Acai, and Lemongrass Clary Sage. The Grassy Mint makes me think of Doublemint gum, and when I use it, I always think, juicy!! Ha ha! The Lavender Mandarin has a nice citrus kick to it. The Pomegranate Acai is probably my favorite and smells fruity and sensational. The Lemongrass Clary Sage smells almost like a lemon lime drink.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494202039884537298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BSRItPiIKzY/TD9TpU-LXdI/AAAAAAAAABU/M0rgkPdeXuQ/s320/100_4631.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>I think the most important thing to tell you about the new <a href="http://peacesoap.kissmyface.com/">Peace Soap </a>line is why it is called Peace Soap in the first place. 10% of the profits support the <a href="http://seedsofpeace.org/">Seeds of Peace Organization</a>. The mission of Seeds of Peace is to help young people from regions of conflict throughout the world develop skills necessary to instill peace and coexistence in their region. This organization has been around for 17 years and has earned the recognition of the U.S. State Department as well as international recognition for their conflict resolution model. It has shown success among the youth of Pakistan, Israel, and Egypt, and now includes young people from many other nations as well.</div><div></div><br /><br /><div>But back to the soap! The label on the bottle says that you can use this Peace Soap "head to toe" and "ceiling to floor." So I thought I would first try it head to toe. I used it as a body wash for a couple days to get the feel of the soap. I found the soap to be very cleansing, but a bit drying for my taste. As a VERY amateur soap maker, I know that coconut oil can tend to dry out the skin, and as it is one of the main ingredients, I was not surprised. However, I did use it as a bubble bath for my 2-year-old daughter, and she had no skin problems with it at all. Kiss My Face is also coming out with a Peace Soap foaming hand cleanser line soon. I think that would be very nice!</div><br /><br /><div></div><div>I next tried it as an all purpose cleaner. I had no complaints with the way it cleaned. I cleaned out a very grimy baby pool with the Grassy Mint scent, and I loved the fact that the baby pool was clean and smelled amazing!! It made me want to refill it with water and jump back in! I also cleaned the entire bathroom with the Lavender Mandarin and Lemongrass Clary Sage. It cleaned just as well as the conventional products out there, in my opinion. And the best part is, you don't have to wear gloves or worry about what you or your family is inhaling while you clean. Here is a picture of my shower before using Peace Soap,</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494202056282886130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BSRItPiIKzY/TD9TqSD2T_I/AAAAAAAAABc/9KIHieyvSho/s320/100_4622.jpg" border="0" />and after using Peace Soap.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494202066401677634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BSRItPiIKzY/TD9Tq3wW0UI/AAAAAAAAABk/Ts_lrk7uWXQ/s320/100_4628.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div><br /><div>I would also recommend Peace Soap for many other uses that I haven't tried. Their website has tons of ideas for how to use this soap, and most came from users themselves. I really like the idea of taking this soap camping. You can use it for everything while you camp, including washing your dishes, bathing, cleaning food; you name it, it can do it. It is also great to pack for other trips too, as that is the only soap you have to pack!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Whether you use Peace Soap or not, it is worth it to check out the <a href="http://www.seedsofpeace.org/">Seeds of Peace organization </a>and all they are doing. If you check out Kiss My Face's <a href="http://www.kissmyface.com/index.html">website</a>, you will find a Pledge for Peace button. For every 10,000 people that pledge they will send one child to camp for free. I pledged just by liking it on Facebook!</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>In conclusion, I am very glad I have some <a href="http://peacesoap.kissmyface.com/">Peace Soap </a>on hand for anything that may come along. It is safe for everyone and everything! The cause it supports is amazing, and I urge you to check it out today. Thank you to <a href="http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/">http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/</a> for giving me this product to review!</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-55635252022897586422010-07-14T13:58:00.004-04:002010-07-14T14:18:07.719-04:00Ant Quest Day 2<div>Well, I've had my homemade ant traps outside for 24 hours now, and I can't tell if it is working or not. The ants definitely love the stuff, but I'm a little concerned because they are all dead in the traps! Here is a picture of the fatal sugar/borax party.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493826100057392690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BSRItPiIKzY/TD39uv-wxjI/AAAAAAAAABE/c2oCUe9LY6U/s320/100_4632.jpg" border="0" /> <div></div><br /><div>So, I either didn't fill the jars enough, and the ants just got stuck in there and drowned, or the borax was too strong and they were poisoned before they could get out. I'm thinking they drowned in their own happiness. Either way, they obviously were unable to get the solution back to the nest, which was my goal for ultimate ant oblivion. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I still have some ants checking out the scene as seen in this picture, so I will wait a few more days to see if they are still sniffing around, and if there are other signs the ant traps are working. </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493827380352927922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BSRItPiIKzY/TD3-5RdASLI/AAAAAAAAABM/JCiKmi7lxk0/s320/100_4638.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>In the meantime, my little Short Stack just got some ant stomping shoes from Grandma, and she sure can entertain herself! Ha ha!<br /></div><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-36300679087734885032010-07-13T13:49:00.003-04:002010-07-13T13:59:39.699-04:00My Quest to Get Rid of the Ants!!If you stand in one spot for too long inside or outside my house, you will be taken away by the tiny 6 legged creatures that will eat anything. I'm sitting here at the kitchen table just watching the little creeps crawling into my house from under the baseboards near the back door. They are coming in at every entrance, despite the <a href="http://www.terro.com/index.php"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Terro</span></a> traps we put out about a month ago. The traps actually are working, or at least they look like it because there are ants all over the traps and dead ones near them. But we just have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">soooo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">stinkin</span>' many of 'em and not enough traps. They have officially eaten all but 2 of my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">potted</span> containers on the deck. My beans are dead, my flowers, my strawberries, and soon, my peppers. My herb pot is really the only place I don't see them. Maybe they don't like basil?<br /><br />So, I researched online last night, and I found out that <a href="http://www.terro.com/index.php"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Terro</span> </a>traps are nothing more than Borax and sugar water. Well, that should be easy to make, right? So today I'm in the process of trying it. I mixed Borax with sugar and water, and I am going to pour them into baby food jars with holes punched in the lid. I have 11 baby food jars to fill, so I'm hoping that will at least put a dent into the population. I still have to find a hammer and nail and punch holes into the lid, which is why this post is short so I can do it before Short Stack wakes up from her nap. Speaking of Short Stack, it's really cute watching her try to step on all the ants she sees. It's like a Native American dance!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-84457610827188575412010-07-12T14:12:00.004-04:002010-07-12T14:29:38.654-04:00No no no no no no, etc...Terrible two's, what? It is a VERY good thing that Short Stack is so darn cute. My little Short Stack is like a tasty BBQ sauce. Sweet and spicy. Actually, I think right now she can be described more as a dry "whine."<br /><br />How funny is it that toddlers can say no so many times, even when they mean yes? She woke up this morning, singing the two letter word, like it was her own sweet dessert that she was savoring on her tongue. "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Nooooo</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">noooo</span>."<br /><br />As we start our usual morning routine, I asked her if she wanted her eggs and oatmeal. She smiles and says, "No." Of course, she means yes, as the smile indicates. During breakfast, she starts whining, "No" when her <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">sippy</span> lid is on the milk. She wants it off. When I tell her to keep it on for now, she screams, "No!" and the tears start.<br /><br />After breakfast, she goes to the fridge Alphabet magnets and starts pointing out the letters she knows. I ask, "Can you find the Y?" She lets out a pondering, "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Nnnoooo</span>," slow and low as if she were really thinking about it, as she points to the correct letter.<br /><br />Now, it is time for the dreaded combing of the hair (which has been much better since putting it in rag curls, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">fyi</span>). This time, it is a forceful "NO!" Then, when she realizes she has lost, she whines, "No, no, no" as if her crocodile tears might work better on mommy than the screaming. They don't.<br /><br />I ask her if she wants to go see Grandma, and her eyes light up. She asks, "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Cinn</span>?" Yes, Cinnamon the dog will be there. She yells, "Bye Bye!" I say, "are you ready to go bye bye?" She ponders again, "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Nnnooo</span>."<br /><br />I know she has so many other words in her vocabulary right now. She can use them if she wants. But "No" is her teddy bear, her <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">blankie</span>, her fall-back plan on any question she may or may not understand. And I only pray there will be a yes coming soon! Ha ha!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-35728671745152774572010-07-08T14:46:00.003-04:002010-07-09T14:14:24.932-04:00Gluten Free Products From General MillsI have to give props to General Mills. They have an entire <a href="http://www.liveglutenfreely.com/default.aspx">website for gluten free living</a>. On this website they give a list of their products that are gluten free. I am amazed at some of their products! They have gluten free foods from brand names such as Betty Crocker (including cake and icing!!!!!), Hamburger Helper, Chex, Green Giant, Nature Valley, Larabar, Progresso, and Yoplait. That's pretty impressive. Oh, and Bisquick is coming out with GF foods soon!<br /><br />Disclaimer: Ok, so I have to admit, I don't eat any of these products with the exception of Chex. I just don't eat processed foods or foods with perservatives. Well, most of the time, at least. It's not that I'm against it, I just find that making foods from scratch myself is cheaper.<br /><br />But back to the good news. I think that this website is advertising genius. Not only that, but the website says that All General Mills products that meet GF requirements are clearly labeled as gluten free on that product.<br /><br />If other food companies can do the gluten free labeling on their product labels, I think they would see a lot more money. It takes all the guess work out of grocery shopping and it really takes the stress off of the buyer. I personally have bought one specific brand over another only because the label of the brand I bought said it was gluten free.<br /><br />This website also has resources, information, and recipes included. One of my problems with going gluten free is finding fun appetizers and snacks for parties that I can eat too. I found so many good ideas from their list.<br /><br />I am in no way affiliated with General Mills, nor do I know anyone who works for them. But here's a shout out to their marketing department!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-38537760306173520972010-07-08T14:27:00.003-04:002010-07-08T14:46:19.541-04:00bumGenius 4.0!Well, it looks like <a href="http://www.cottonbabies.com/index.php">Cotton Babies </a>has heard us. Finally, their best selling pocket diaper now comes in snaps! If you like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">bumGenius</span> 3.0 pocket diapers, but don't like the hook and loop, check out the 4.0's!<br /><br />There are some other differences in <a href="http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=98&products_id=2424"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">bumGenius</span> 4.0</a> as well, including:<br /><ul><li>"Generous sizing to accommodate larger babies." I hope this doesn't mean it won't fit thin babies anymore!</li><li>Replaceable elastic. This will be nice, especially if you want to sell it afterwards and the elastic is shot.</li><li>New colors!!! They have added 3 colors: Bubble, Sweet, and Noodle. Although it looks like they don't offer it in some of their other colors like Clementine and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Ribbit</span>. I'm excited about the purple! </li></ul><p>As stated earlier, I am a snap girl only. I actually converted all of my 3.0s into snap closures. </p><p>It looks like they are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">offering</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">preorders</span>, so order yours today! This is a great entry diaper into the cloth diapering world. So, if you have never used cloth diapers, I recommend this as one of a few brands to try first.</p><p>Did anyone get to see <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">bumGenius</span> and other cloth diapering mamas on the Today Show this morning? I missed it. :-( This was a fantastic way to get America talking about cloth!!</p><p> </p><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-41019585093545401262010-07-07T14:19:00.002-04:002010-07-07T14:19:59.753-04:00I DID IT!!I FINALLY figured out how to change this account over!! And it only took me 20 minutes! Seriously, this just makes my day. Ahh, the little things in life. :-)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-8852803703259348222010-07-07T13:55:00.002-04:002010-07-07T13:57:26.815-04:00Possible Blog ChangeHere's the deal. I am trying to get this blog moved to a different account, but it doesn't seem to be working. I may have to change blog names all together, which mean I may lose all of my followers! Any help anyone has out there would be appreciated! If not, well, I guess I will have to start from scratch. Wish me luck! I only have about an hour left of Short Stack's naptime, so I may not get it done today. We'll see!Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-91308362255367601642010-07-06T14:50:00.002-04:002010-07-06T15:09:06.958-04:00Gluten Free Pizza CrustMy husband came home one day and asked me if I could make a BLT pizza for dinner sometime. He had one at a local pizza place and wanted to try it. Well, being gluten free, I was trying to decide whether or not to make my own pizza with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pre-made</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">GF</span> personal pizza crusts that cost $7.99 at my grocery store, or try to make one pizza for the whole family. While still being expensive, I chose to try the adventure of making my own pizza dough. It is just easier to be able to make the same thing for all of us so I don't have to worry about cross-contamination.<br /><br />I got a book from the library that had all sorts of recipes from different flour blends. It was a great book that explained the difference in all these flours and how to get nutrition you may lack being <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">GF</span>. The book is called, "Gluten-Free Hassle Free A Simple, Sane Dietitian-Approved Program for Eating Your Way Back to Health," by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Marlisa</span> Brown, MS RD <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">CDE</span> CD. I adapted her recipe for Italian Pizza:<br /><br />1 cup sorghum flour<br />1 cup potato starch<br />1 cup tapioca flour<br />1/2 cup chickpea flour<br />3/4 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">cup</span> warm skim milk<br />3/4 cup warm water<br />1 packet dry yeast<br />2 tsp sugar<br />1/4 cup olive oil<br />1 1/4 tsp salt<br />1 tsp <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">xanthan</span> gum<br />1 Tbsp cider vinegar<br />1/2 cup rice flour<br /><br />1. Mix first four flours together. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup of flour blend with 3/4 cup warm milk and 1/4 cup warm water. Add yeast, sugar, 1/8 cup olive oil, and 1 tsp salt. Mix together, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 45 minutes.<br /><br />2. Mix remaining flour with the remaining salt and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">xanthan</span> gum. Mix together with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">yeasted</span> mixture with 1/4-1/2 cup warm water and cider vinegar for about 3-4 minutes, until the dough is a nice soft consistency that holds together but is not too wet.<br /><br />3. Knead and form the dough into a ball; cover and let rest for about 15 minutes. If too wet, add brown rice flour until a nice consistency.<br /><br />4. Preheat oven to 450.<br /><br />5. Drizzle a large flat pizza pan with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal.<br /><br />6. Turn pizza dough out of bowl and shape and flatten, spreading out over pizza pan. Add brown rice flour if dough is too wet, and work it in as you fit the dough onto the pan, until the pan is completely covered with pizza dough (leave a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">thicker</span> ridge around the edges). If the dough is too dry or crumbly, wet hands or a spatula and rub it across the top to smooth it out.<br /><br />7. Sprinkle top of dough with some olive oil and oregano and let sit for about 20 minutes.<br /><br />8. Place dough in the oven and precook for about 15 minutes.<br /><br />9. I used <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Alfredo</span> sauce as my sauce, then topped it with cheese, bacon, and tomato.<br /><br />10. Bake for about 25 minutes, until crust is crispy. I left it in for that long, and mine was overdone, but not burnt, so I say 20 minutes.<br /><br />11. When I took the pizza out of the oven, I added lettuce. My family doesn't like mayo, but if we did, that would probably be drizzled on top.<br /><br />It was tasty! I will say I won't do it again until winter probably. It's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">sooo</span> hot here!Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-53242874708276910912010-07-05T13:39:00.003-04:002010-07-05T13:52:32.179-04:00Swim Diaper UpdateI posted earlier in the summer about my Short Stack's swim diaper woes. Long story short, we bought a swimsuit with a built-in swim diaper that she hates with a passion. I'm too cheap to buy another swim diaper and bathing suit for the rest of the season because Short Stack hardly gets in the water in the first place. And I'm not buying disposables. I just can't bring myself to do it. :-)<br /><br />So, as an alternative, I decided to use an old diaper cover that I don't like and doesn't work very well. I found a cheap swim top at Meijer. So cheap that the first time I took it off of her, the strap broke! I am not the best seamstress, but at least I know how to tack on a strap, so I didn't have to go back and get a refund. Yes, I'm not only cheap, but I'm lazy too. :-)<br /><br />Well, the top is a go. It's loose enough she doesn't scream when I have to peel it off of her. The diaper cover as a swim dipe, however, not a go. I put it on her, and she immediately said, "No, No!" It was very uncomfortable to her. I was kind of bummed, because it was this bright orange that perfectly matched the top. Boo! But, I do understand why she didn't like it. Without a diaper insert, the cover was big and kind of bulky, and it didn't form to her well.<br /><br />So, I'm back to using a pocket diaper cover. It has a soft lining inside, so she has no complaints. I am going to use the same one so that I don't ruin any others. It is my only Haute Pocket diaper I have, but it doesn't fit her well anymore now that she is tall and skinny. It has leaked the last 2 times I've used it as a diaper because her legs are too thin. It has probably the softest lining of all my dipes, too.<br /><br />Next year, I am just going to buy a cheap reusable swim diaper, and build the swim suit around that!Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-58781443017641956952010-07-02T14:26:00.004-04:002010-07-02T15:07:51.367-04:00The Successful Woman??A friend I know was commenting the other day on how much she wanted to be like a mutual friend who went to school, worked, and raised her children all at the same time. She thought that was so cool to be able to "do it all." Another woman I know is currently working a high stress job, starting her own additional business, teaching college classes, and raising her kids. When she talked to me about it, she said she was doing it all to have a nice retirement in the end.<br /><br />Now I will probably offend some by saying this, but this is what a blog is for, right? To give my opinions? So here goes. As much as we like to think these two examples are the women we want to be, why are we trying to be like this? Aren't we overworking ourselves, compromising our health, our happiness, and our families?<br /><br />More importantly, in my opinion, who says that this is the definition of "doing it all?" For me, this meant working and taking care of my daughter. I was not taking care of myself, my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">marriage</span>, my home, and my beloved pets. Even my car suffered with the lack of oil changes and tire rotations because I just didn't have the time. This is not doing it all. This is doing the bare minimum to keep my head above water so that I can bring home a supplemental income. This is what I went to college for and got my Master's degree for. This is what was expected of me.<br /><br />I think what got to me most in the two examples I gave was that these two women who were doing it all were lacking one major success: their contentment. I know them personally. The first woman has a roommate for a husband and two grown kids who are unable to support themselves <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">financially</span>. The second woman is unhappy and lonely, but adds on other projects to fill a void that she doesn't know is there. On the flip side, I know many many women who should be in the workforce and they are better moms because of it. I have a friend who would probably be at home depressed eating <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">bon</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">bons</span> if she wasn't working, and that is not good for her child!<br /><br /><strong>Now a-days for me personally, I feel that "doing it all" means to improve my wellness in all forms, spiritually, physically, and mentally. It means to give my husband the time he deserves with the woman he chose to spend the rest of his life with. It means to make sure my daughter gets all my love that I can possibly give, even at the end of the day when we are both tired. And the same goes to my pets as well. I adopted them for a reason, and that wasn't to just sit around a house bored and lonely all day. This is what doing it all means to me.</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />Every woman is different, isn't that what we teach? So why are we all trying to be the same? So I say, enjoy your life as you are right now, not when retirement comes. Enjoy your children while you can and spend time with them, because that alone can mean success or failure in their adult lives. Whether you are working outside or inside the home, it doesn't matter. Success and "doing it all" depend only on your perspective!Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-79012035861376068182010-07-01T14:07:00.002-04:002010-07-01T14:25:46.639-04:00Whole Foods Rocks!It's July 1st, and I have my windows open! Yay! That's about the biggest thing that has happened to me today. It's been gorgeous outside, and we have enjoyed it by staying home and relaxing. I pulled some weeds, did some laundry, and that's 'bout it so far!<br /><br />For those who are reading for the first time, I am gluten free now. I'm trying to find recipes that are edible and healthy at the same time that contain different flours in them. I decided to trek it up to <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/">Whole Foods </a>(about 40 minutes away, so it's not that bad) to see what they had.<br /><br />Whole Foods officially rocks my world. Not only did they have every flour I had on my list to try, they had so much more. Most of the brand-name items were cheaper there than at my local grocery store. For example, Whole Foods had Envirokids cereals for 2.89 a box, whereas my grocer sells this same item for 3.99 a box. Food for Life brown rice bread was 3.49 at Whole Foods, and my grocer has it for 4.79. This list continues for many of the items I buy. Plus, they sell so many local items, including local honey. I have been on the search for local honey for a while now to help with my allergies, and I can't seem to find it anywhere, not even the farmer's market. So I was pretty pumped when I found this.<br /><br />I know, I am just now discovering something that everyone already knows about. Kind of like someone watching Toy Story 1 for the first time. What, you mean you've never seen it?! :-) I think I am still getting used to living in a suburb of a big city. Back in my small town life, we didn't have Whole Foods, or any other specialty store for that matter. We were lucky to get an extra blinking-only-red stop light. So, yes, I may be a bit sheltered.<br /><br />I can't wait to go to Whole Foods again! I'm going to be stocking up on many things. And they have <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/coupons/">online coupons </a>too. Yay!Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-30599117074544590132010-06-30T13:59:00.002-04:002010-06-30T14:40:33.426-04:00What Breaks My Heart?Don't you ever feel like you need to do something? I'm not talking about the times when the baby is taking a nap, and you are relaxing, thinking, "I should really wash the dishes and scrub the toilet." No, I'm talking about <em>doing something</em>. Something big. Radical. Don't you wish sometimes that you could make a difference in this word that affects tons of people for good?<br /><br />I do. I want to serve. No. I <strong><em>need</em></strong> to serve. Every fiber in my being is aching to <strong><em>do something</em></strong>, to be a part of something big. I find it so difficult to accomplish this on my own. I have Short Stack's schedule, my dear hubby's agenda, and just "stuff" that needs to get done. If I focus on the hassle of the day, I will never be able to achieve any more than that hassle.<br /><br />I want to do something that the rest of the world thinks is crazy. I guess I kind of did that with quitting my good paying job to stay at home with Short Stack. But I don't think that's so crazy.<br /><br />I have so many ideas and thoughts that pop into my head that I can do to serve others. I am like a horse that has yet to be broken. Wild horses have all this power and talent, yet all they can do is run and kick and buck and destroy the corral. When the horse is broken, the horse can channel that power into something useful and with purpose. I have all this power and talent, but I'm running and kicking everywhere because I have not been broken. <br /><br />The band, <a href="http://www.switchfoot.com/">Switchfoot</a>, has a song called "Yet." In it, they say, "if it doesn't break your heart it's not enough. It's when you're breaking down with your insides coming out, that's when you find out what your heart is made of."<br /><br />What breaks my heart? I have so many things, I feel like I have too much compassion sometimes. But if I can find that one thing that stands out above the rest, maybe, just maybe I can channel my talents into something useful and with purpose that can truly change a part of this world.<br /><br />Maybe I will think more about this as I am doing the dishes and scrubbing the toilet. :-)Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-35380693023363861542010-06-29T14:01:00.003-04:002010-06-29T14:18:54.096-04:00The Joys of SwimmingWell, I decided to go for it this year and buy a swim diaper that was pretty pricey online because of the brand. I liked the swimsuit my little Short Stack had last year, so I went with the same kind. I bought an Iplay one piece swimsuit that has a built in reusable diaper. Unfortunately, even though my tastes have not changed, Short Stack's has changed. Ugh.<br /><br />My daughter is TERRIFIED of water. It is a life or death situation with her. Last year, she had fun. I wouldn't say she was confident, but she enjoyed herself. This year we are having to re-teach her, which I expected. I did not expect the shear terror that filled her eyes when she saw other people happily jumping in the water or when she saw mommy dunk her head under and swim the breast stroke. My bad, didn't realize that was going to cause a meltdown.<br /><br />Thankfully, we are improving by leaps and bounds. This past weekend, we took her to our church's weekly high school gathering at a pool, and she watched everyone else having a blast, and she decided it was time to put away her fear and go for it. I was so proud of her! She let mommy take her away from the steps and side of the pool. She even put her face in the water a couple of times. Not only that, but she wanted to jump off the side of the pool like the big kids! That was a MAJOR accomplishment. She is still leery and doesn't want to get her head wet, but the shear terror is not there anymore, and she asks to go to the pool now.<br /><br />As a result of her early terror, her swimsuit is no longer an option. Every time she saw the yellow one piece death trap, she cried. Now she only wants to swim with her diaper. All of my diapers are PUL, so I don't want to use them too much because of the damage the chlorine can do to the fabric.<br /><br />So, instead of buying a new swim diaper or buying disposable swim diapers, I've decided I'm going to use an old diaper cover that I hate. I have a few hook and loop diaper covers that aren't in good enough shape to resell that I don't think I will use again. After all, swim diapers don't hold in the pee, only the poo. And a diaper cover will do the same thing, right? That is my rationale.<br /><br />Of course, as soon as Short Stack realizes the water is not an evil baby devouring dragon, the weather gets cool. I love the irony!Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-87894807268178627502010-06-28T13:54:00.003-04:002010-06-28T13:58:40.122-04:00Can Rag Curls Help Kick Her Habit?<div><br /><br /><div>Happy Monday to you all! My day has been so blessed so far. I am having so much fun staying at home, it's scary! I thought I would share today my little project I have with my daughter and her annoying and painful habit of hair twirling. :-)</div><br /><br /><div><br />So, Short Stack, as we like to call her, doesn't suck her thumb, she doesn't use a pacifier, and she isn't really attached to any one toy. What she is attached to is her hair! Morning, noon, and night, she will twirl her hair around her thumb. She does this much more when she is tired, but she also does it when she's bored, riding in a car, shy, and especially right before she goes to bed and when she wakes up in the morning. She will be awake for a half hour and not tell me, but she will be wrapping that hair around her thumb the entire time.</div><br /><br /><div><br />Now, you can imagine what this does to her hair. I wish I had a picture of the knots that she puts into it. It drives me crazy! Some mornings I will come into her room to find hair all over her crib. I know I'm not supposed to diagnosis myself or family members, but I have to admit, I did get a fear that she was developing trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling that results in hair loss). She doesn't pull out her hair on purpose, though. What happens is she gets her thumb stuck in her hair and rips out her thumb.</div><br /><br /><div><br />I have been trying to find a solution. When she's awake, it isn't too bad, because she responds to my gentle redirection. But when I'm not around, that thumb starts working overtime! I seriously considered dreds for a split second. But, being as I have never done this before, and I love her flowing locks of mousy brown, I thought twice. I tried to braid it before bedtime, but the hair around her forehead came out before she even laid down, and that part of the head is the biggest victim of the perpetrating thumb. </div><br /><br /><div><br />So, I thought I would try rag curls. She can sleep in the rags without it bugging her too much. And with the hair tied up in the rags, it should protect the hair. Yesterday I cut an old T-shirt into strips of about 1 1/2 inches by 5 inches. Then I rolled up small portions of her hair into each strip and tied them in a knot. She looked like she belonged in Little House on the Prairie! It was cute. She was curious about them, but didn't react as much as I thought. During our bedtime story, she tried twirling, but ended up twirling the rag instead. She did pull on a rag in front a few times, and I wonder if it was because it was too close to her face. </div><br /><br /><div><br />This morning when I came into her room, she was able to get that one rag closest to her face pulled out. But I could tell she had just did it because of the amount of the curl in her hair, and it was not in a knot. It worked for the first night! And her hair is CUTE. I tried to get a pic of it right out of the rags on my phone, so these pics might not be the best. This was before I even combed the curls out with my fingers.<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BSRItPiIKzY/TCjgc1e2jyI/AAAAAAAAAAM/AQv7ibdcGPY/s1600/laina+curly+hair+1.jpg"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BSRItPiIKzY/TCjgc7ZcQQI/AAAAAAAAAAU/WBq0y7mzlps/s1600/laina+curly+hair+2.jpg"></a> Hopefully it will work for a while until that thumb is put into his place!! Ha ha!</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqaY-jjsEdbMl7LLhnus7ZjQTz5KbZ3m8cUrDxlozhJckTU-W-0xKX4S53IsukrfWglPIy2H_8oCNyYPpJsgSdvNJZQXzp20Nbh9Mu_t1acaKg7N3SX5y0XSqy94Sm_RvYdrBtHneBGo/s1600/laina+curly+hair+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487884874113612754" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqaY-jjsEdbMl7LLhnus7ZjQTz5KbZ3m8cUrDxlozhJckTU-W-0xKX4S53IsukrfWglPIy2H_8oCNyYPpJsgSdvNJZQXzp20Nbh9Mu_t1acaKg7N3SX5y0XSqy94Sm_RvYdrBtHneBGo/s320/laina+curly+hair+1.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Qcdt9iZe-CToa1p8bCpvUpOd4JiX3tYSq6Sev_LhFgiTGLk90ZXU6GpxebL_ZrRSJGaI3WDM1JRBSjblhDErFCIDTVBvlcv9EgDvRgub-8Vy9fjbIsSJqVTIJpZBzVLseLRxbGWPRBk/s1600/laina+curly+hair+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487884885559742738" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Qcdt9iZe-CToa1p8bCpvUpOd4JiX3tYSq6Sev_LhFgiTGLk90ZXU6GpxebL_ZrRSJGaI3WDM1JRBSjblhDErFCIDTVBvlcv9EgDvRgub-8Vy9fjbIsSJqVTIJpZBzVLseLRxbGWPRBk/s320/laina+curly+hair+2.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Qcdt9iZe-CToa1p8bCpvUpOd4JiX3tYSq6Sev_LhFgiTGLk90ZXU6GpxebL_ZrRSJGaI3WDM1JRBSjblhDErFCIDTVBvlcv9EgDvRgub-8Vy9fjbIsSJqVTIJpZBzVLseLRxbGWPRBk/s1600/laina+curly+hair+2.jpg"></a> </div><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Qcdt9iZe-CToa1p8bCpvUpOd4JiX3tYSq6Sev_LhFgiTGLk90ZXU6GpxebL_ZrRSJGaI3WDM1JRBSjblhDErFCIDTVBvlcv9EgDvRgub-8Vy9fjbIsSJqVTIJpZBzVLseLRxbGWPRBk/s1600/laina+curly+hair+2.jpg"></a> </div></div>Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-65363106042340095722010-06-25T13:25:00.004-04:002010-06-25T13:42:58.451-04:00No Worries, It's Friday!Ahh, Friday. A day filled with hope and promise. And cleaning. And laundry. And cooking. I love it. Really, I do...for now. Being a stay at home mom for a week has me going gang-buster on the house and cranking up the stereo with some Flyleaf. My daughter is loving it too, even "helping" me dust and dancing in the living room giggling up a storm. I know this energy for housework will probably dwindle in the next coming weeks, so I figured I'd take advantage of it and give the home some much needed TLC.<br /><br />I absolutely love staying at home. I have complete control over what my daughter eats for snacks and lunch and when she naps. When she has a poopy diaper, I can clean it off right away instead of it sitting in a wet bag all day waiting for me to empty it after work. My lovely daughter is such a moody and anxious child by nature, and now she is on a more stable routine to give her the security she needs to be a happier child. I have taken some stress off of my husband by doing the laundry (it used to be his job), taking care of the trash and the recycling; but most of all, when he comes home from his "oh-what-fun, 8-5, no raise in 5 years" job, he isn't coming home to a screaming child and a cantankerous wife.<br /><br />The world says I should probably worry about money. Indeed, we may be heading for some financial difficulties. My job gave us quite a boost in our income. And did I mention dear hubby hasn't had a raise in 5 years? So to say we need to cut some corners is an understatement. I should probably worry about this. But how can one worry when one is so happy? This is not the kind of happy that comes from the world. This is the joy that can only come from knowing that your life is in God's hands. This is His plan for me right now. I'm sure of it. So, why should I worry about money? It is an earthly possession. My mind is not on this earth, but what comes next. To God be the glory for the things that He has done, and will do!Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-6124059774142531842010-06-24T15:15:00.004-04:002010-06-24T15:32:30.228-04:00Cloth isn't all fun and games!As much as I love to talk about cloth diapers and encourage others to try them for at least 2 weeks, I have a gripe. Well, the gripe might not be about the diapers specifically. Just me complaining.<br /><br />I bought mostly one-size diapers when I started my stash. In fact, all of the diapers I am using right now are one-size. It seemed like less of a hassle in the long run and cheaper. My daughter was fitting perfectly in the second size of the diapers (there are 3 sizes in all). Now that she is older and close to potty training (I hope), she graduated to the largest size! She's getting big!<br /><br />As I began the large size on my diapers, I noticed that she is way too skinny for that size, but she is too tall for the medium size. Grr! There is no way I am buying more diapers (although that would be really fun) to fit her for just a few more months. So we will deal with droopy drawers and "wings" at the waist.<br /><br />My other gripe is that I think I need to change my detergent, and I just recently stockpiled on the detergent I was using. That's right, I have like 8 more bottles in my basement. Ah, the irony. I think I need to change the detergent because my diapers seem to be stinkier in the diaper pail than they used to be. My new ones are great, no problems. But the older ones need a little freshening up. I don't need to strip them, as I am having no repelling issues. All well, at least I can use the detergent for my regular laundry, and at least the smell isn't as bad as a diaper genie. I cannot stand the smell of those things. Just my personal opinion, of course!<br /><br />In the mean time, I will enjoy my skinny minny, and hope the bottles in my basement do not get together and multiply. :-)Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-17731036659412315302010-06-23T13:54:00.004-04:002010-06-23T14:18:03.605-04:00The Flip DiaperSo, I bought a Flip Diaper to try out a while back, and I'm just now getting around to talking about it. The <a href="http://www.cottonbabies.com/index.php?cPath=139">Flip One-Size Diaper System </a>is a diaper that is composed of an insert and a diaper cover. Basically, you place the insert in the cover and that's it. No pins or other types of fasteners are needed because the cover holds the insert into place with a little pocket, or flap, on the front and back. You can choose between a microfiber insert and an organic cotton insert. The cover and the insert are one size, so it grows with your baby.<br /><br />The cover is very nice. It has contoured legs so it fits snugly to your baby. It has a double row of snaps for closure, so no hook and loop (Velcro) is there to snag your other diapers in the wash. I have not only used this cover with the flip insert, but with other prefolds and WAHM inserts as well. I haven't had a leak yet, and I've used it overnight too. The only problems I have found with the cover is that I only have one! The washing instructions say to line dry the cover, so that might be important to note.<br /><br />Although I haven't had a problem with the stay dry microfiber inserts from <a href="http://www.cottonbabies.com/index.php?cPath=139">Cottonbabies</a>, I chose the organic cotton insert because I have less stink issues with the cotton than I do the microfiber. It's just my preference. The cotton insert is a prefold diaper that has some serious absorbency power to it. It could beat any diaper I have at the moment in a leak test. My only complaint (and it really isn't a big deal) is that the insert can be a bit bulky. It is not as bulky as a fitted that has the same amount of leak protection, though. I did have a bit of trouble at first getting the diaper to fold under the flap in the cover that holds it in. I mostly had trouble because I wasn't used to the thicker insert. As for washing, no problems. It dries as quick as a pocket diaper insert and quicker than many all-in-ones.<br /><br />Overall, I would highly recommend this diaper to mommies and daddies. It is easy to use, has superior leak protection, and it is cheaper than my organic all-in-ones. I'm happy with it, and I think others will be too!<br /><br />~ChristieChristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-74471913111530996402010-06-15T13:35:00.003-04:002010-06-15T13:56:16.722-04:00I'M BACK!!Well, well, that was quite a hiatus, wasn't it? Did I spell hiatus correctly? The spell checker says I did. Hmm...<br /><br />I am officially not working...kind of. I have a conference next week: no big deal. I signed up to sub in the school district I work for; I only need to sub 3 days a week to keep on payroll. Again, not a big deal. I am so ecstatic to be slowing my life down. It is liberating, to say the least. I truly feel for those who are unable to do what they want to do in life. For me, I wasn't doing what I wanted to do because I was scared. Now, I have given everything to God. My finances included. I know He will provide. I still fear the unknown, but I will not let it rule my life, because I am so unhappy when it does.<br /><br />I am starting a new phase in my life. This is the first time in about 15 years I have not worked. But this isn't the only thing new. As some already know, I have been diagnosed with Celiac disease, which is an allergy to wheat gluten (fyi, Celiac is not in the spell checker). I have been a huge carb girl since forever, so this was a shocker. But the transition hasn't been too terrible so far. I've always liked trying and cooking new things, and I never really bought much processed food anyway (for those who don't know, gluten can hide in a lot of processed foods). The biggest difficulty I have found is getting my husband and daughter on board and not contaminating myself with their evil gluten habits. :-)<br /><br />So, this is my new project. To cook not only for me, but finding recipes that everyone will eat. I would love, love, love to be able to make some bread that my daughter will eat. But being a toddler and a very picky eater, that may take quite some time! So, sorry if all of you cloth diaper lovers get on my blog and see all these gluten free posts. I've become a little obsessed, as any newly diagnosed Celiac should!<br /><br />I will try not to take up all my time writing about gluten free topics and get some good cloth info in here too. Which reminds me, I have a review to write about the Flip diaper! I will try to get that out tomorrow.<br /><br />By the way, I just ate my lunch. Tilapia tacos with cucumbers, and yogurt (Tilapia is also not in spell checker). It was actually not that bad! Supper tonight is steak kabobs on rice. Mmm!Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-25226417341579953672010-05-03T13:00:00.002-04:002010-05-03T13:08:47.445-04:00Taking a BreakHey everyone! I just wanted y'all to know that I am going to be taking a month off of blogging. Obviously, I'm not keeping up with it because of all that is going on here, so I figured I would just post this to let you know that I am still planning on blogging on a more frequent and consistent basis, but it will have to be either after school is out completely, or after things settle down a bit in school (if it ever does).<br /><br />With this being said, I can now officially share my good news! My wonderful husband has agreed with me to try a year off of working and see what happens financially. I AM NOT GOING BACK TO WORK! WOO <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">HOO</span>!!!!! I cannot tell you how blessed I feel right now. I am amazed at how wonderful God is, and He <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">truly</span> does answer prayers. I fully believe this is God's will for me right now. I will probably go back to work sooner or later, but in what career, the sky is the limit!<br /><br />Since we are losing a major chunk of our income, I do need to add more piano students...a lot more. Either that, or start selling soaps. Or donating plasma. But I am confident that God will provide.<br /><br />I will still be answering any cloth diaper questions you may have, so feel free to contact me anytime. So long for now, and I will be back this summer!<br /><br />~ChristieChristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546407970586727001.post-1208682426453511022010-04-30T14:18:00.004-04:002010-04-30T14:30:55.907-04:00What do I write about today?It's interesting how my weeks work. When I'm busy, I can't think of a thing to write about. When I have some time on my hands, I'm full of ideas. As you can see, I'm super busy. Here is what is going on in my life right now.<br /><br />AP. Those two letters make me cringe right about now. Being the AP Coordinator for a large high school should mean an automatic free trip to the Bahamas. I try not to complain about work, so I won't talk too much about it, but I am super excited to be DONE.<br /><br />My health. A few years ago, I got a biopsy done, and they found <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Celiac</span> disease, which is the wheat gluten allergy. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Yay</span>. But then they did blood tests and found nothing. Cool. Over a year ago, they found that my liver enzymes were elevated, and they still are. Huh? Turns out, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Celiac</span> can cause that. Uh oh. Now, my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">gastroenterologist</span> has decided he wants to put me on the dreaded diet. Sigh. I don't have the normal symptoms, but I am always <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">sooo</span> tired, and I was sicker than sick all winter with what seemed every contagious disease known to man. I currently have a severe form of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">GERD</span> (Reflux), and I'm lactose intolerant, and now I need to go on this even stricter diet?? You've got to be kidding me. My insurance better pay for a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">dietician</span>.<br /><br />So yeah, that's about what is going on with me. Well, except for one great big awesome thing that I can't talk about yet but soon (no, I'm not pregnant). :-)Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15746218753709393365noreply@blogger.com0